The Jasmine Throne
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The Jasmine Throne
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Narrated by:
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Shiromi Arserio
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Written by:
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Tasha Suri
About this listen
"Raises the bar for what epic fantasy should be." (Chloe Gong, author of These Violent Delights)
A ruthless princess and a powerful priestess come together to rewrite the fate of an empire in this “fiercely and unapologetically feminist tale of endurance and revolution set against a gorgeous, unique magical world” (S. A. Chakraborty).
Exiled by her despotic brother, princess Malini spends her days dreaming of vengeance while imprisoned in the Hirana: an ancient cliffside temple that was once the revered source of the magical deathless waters but is now little more than a decaying ruin.
The secrets of the Hirana call to Priya. But in order to keep the truth of her past safely hidden, she works as a servant in the loathed regent’s household, biting her tongue and cleaning Malini’s chambers.
But when Malini witnesses Priya’s true nature, their destinies become irrevocably tangled. One is a ruthless princess seeking to steal a throne. The other a powerful priestess desperate to save her family. Together, they will set an empire ablaze.
"An intimate, complex, magical study of empire and the people caught in its bloody teeth. I loved it.” (Alix E. Harrow, author of The Ten Thousand Doors of January)
"Gripping and harrowing from the very start." (R. F. Kuang, author of The Poppy War)
"Suri’s incandescent feminist masterpiece hits like a steel fist inside a velvet glove. Simply magnificent." (Shelley Parker-Chan, author of She Who Became the Sun)
"A fierce, heart-wrenching exploration of the value and danger of love in a world of politics and power." (Publishers Weekly, starred review)
"This cutthroat and sapphic novel will grip you until the very end." (Vulture, Best of the Year)
"Lush and stunning.... Inspired by Indian epics, this sapphic fantasy will rip your heart out." (BuzzFeed News)
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Lin Sukai finally sits on the throne she won at so much cost, but her struggles are only just beginning. Her people don’t trust her. Her political alliances are weak. And in the northeast of the Empire, a rebel army of constructs is gathering, its leader determined to take the throne by force. Yet an even greater threat is on the horizon, for the Alanga - the powerful magicians of legend - have returned to the Empire. They claim they come in peace, and Lin will need their help in order to defeat the rebels and restore peace. But can she trust them?
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What the critics say
"The Jasmine Throne pulls you under, sweeping you away on a current of gorgeous prose and intricately imagined magic and politics. Filled with sharply-drawn characters who ache with longing: for peace, for war, for one another. It left me breathless." (Andrea Stewart, author of The Bone Shard Daughter)
"This powerful series opener will undoubtedly reshape the landscape of epic fantasy for years to come." (Booklist, starred review)
"The Jasmine Throne more than lives up to the hype with its rich and expansive world, compelling characters, cool magic system and Suri’s excellent writing, which holds it all together." (BookPage, starred review)
What listeners say about The Jasmine Throne
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- michelle walsh
- 2023-07-04
We love sapphics with swords.
Definitely glad I finally picked it up and I eagerly await reading the next book. Definitely dragged a little in the middle (like most long books do) but I enjoyed it regardless.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Lynn Bishop
- 2022-05-01
Immersive
Loved the story, was there from start to finish. Due to life situations I had to stop at one point in the last third... As soon as I had time to pick it up again it was like I hadn't stopped. Amazing writing and a pleasure to listen to!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mavo
- 2022-11-05
Splendid Fantasy World
This is a comprehensive and fascinating fantasy world whose 'gods' are very close to nature. It appears to be a struggle between the mystical mother world and the angry and misogynistic human world. The characters are intriguing and much of the tension is created by their attempts to forge alliances with each other. I'll be signing up soon for the sequel.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2023-04-16
Beautiful writing, fascinating world
The world building could use a little more explication but it’s design is unique and interesting. Great character dev and tension btw characters.
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Overall4 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Katherine Silivestru
- 2022-04-25
good but not all that was promised
I found this book through tiktok following what felt like hundreds of videos about this novel which praised it well into the heavens. So, take this review with the knowledge that I may have gone into this book expecting too much.
I was expecting something like the Priory of the Orange Tree but set in a South Asian-esque kingdom. this is to say, Sapphic, full of multiple characters with full bodied histories and motivations, plentiful political fiction, rich bases of historirs, religions, cultures... it is not that these things were not there, only that none of them were particularly powerful.
Sapphic: my favourite genre of book involves powerful women falling in love with powerful women. These women show very little tenderness, care, or relationship development (imo) beyond what I might expect of a very hastily written YA novel. That us jot to say it is bad, just that it is less than what I thought I would get. I do not need sex scenes to fall in love with a relationship, but any modicum of affection would have been cool. Ergo: not really a Sapphic love story, more like a story which happens to have two women who like each other.
Respresentation: I am always very glad to see greater representation of gender, sexuality, race, and culture in the books I read. Recently I have even been specifically curating my reading list based on the idea of reading about characters who more accurately portray people like me. However, this book isn't really the miraculous portrayal of diversity, or even South-Asian race/ culture that i think it is being made out to be on tiktok. Several times we get references to the idea that darker skin is less beautiful (including naming the darker skinned women as not being beautiful and the princess, who is often described by the lightness of her skin, as being more beautiful). The characters are all people of colour, and that is definitely ( unfortunately) a feat in today's world, but in terms of sexuality, gender, or even just discussing differences thst could exist within the South-Asian-esque population, there isn't large diversity. There is, to my recollection, a singular mention of the idea of gender existing outside the binary. Women are consistently referred to as being lesser than men but jo one really does much about that, other than possibly leaning into the idea in order to gain power by being underestimated. I coukd go on but I'll just summarize to say that (while completely unnecessary to be a beacon of representation) this book is not the representation of a diverse swathe of people and their problems as it is being advertised. again, that's not to say it's bad, just iver-hyped i think.
political fiction: here us where I have an actual issue... 1. A lot of the story threads in this novel get dropped at random points only to be picked back up later. This ranges from a minor offense that doesn't really matter, to the reason that Priya is in a location straight up being ignored for chapters on end with absolutely no explanation. 2. a lot of the politics are very bland. Either the motivations / reactions don't make any sense (ie, a bunch of super sexist lords suddenly accepting a woman in power because... the plot demands it??) or it is so straight forward that it feels too obvious for the supposedly smart characters to have overlooked. This isn't necessarily bad but I would definitely put the politics in this book on par with the legal system in Harry Potter's world. So... its not really a political fiction book either.
religion: this aspect does give some points back. The usage of different religions in the book is cool and tge lore is rich. I wish it had been more, but I think that is just because the other stuff was lacking.
all in: this book is fine, good for listening to while cleaning the house maybe, but don't go in with super high expectations because I don't think you will end up being impressed. Probably would have been better for kids in grades 6 through 10.
Narrator was great, wish I'd been better able to differentiate between their character voices.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Zachara123
- 2021-10-23
I am a FAN
THIS is a damn good book. Interesting premise. Excellent characterization. Ends a good spot for a sequel. Eagerly await the next book!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Anonymous User
- 2021-07-06
I'm so sad it's over!
Great characters, great world building, and so exciting to see South Asian representation in this genre.
I was glued to my headphones.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- D. Pratt
- 2022-07-29
An fresh, new brand of fantasy
So much of the fantasy genre is based on a euro-centric culture type. I very much enjoyed learning about this new world built on a framework of the ancient subcontinent. The characters are dynamic and compelling, and the story keeps you guessing without getting lost. I’m looking forward to book 2.
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- natasha
- 2022-04-17
A new favourite
Really enjoyed everything about the story the character the world building and pacing were easy to follow although I did have. Hard time with all the names an people. Looking forward to the next book.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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- Erica Marx
- 2021-07-29
was NOT disappointed
I discovered this book through TikTok, the author was so excited about their book that I downloaded it immediately and let me tell you, they certainly had every reason to be excited and proud, this book is phenomenal.
As a writer myself I tend to pick apart books in terms of flow and word choice etc but I had no room to do so here. from as early as when Priya is (as far as we know) nothing but a maidservant I was hooked. the characters are compelling and well fleshed out, you really feel like you know them and care about them. the romance is tense and sweet and heart-wrenching... I cannot speak highly enough of the writing and it was made even better by the wonderful performance by Shiromi Arseiro. will definitely be looking out for that name for my next audiobook purchase
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1 person found this helpful